Islam and the Transformation of Greek Science
77:12
1 May 2011
History of Science, Mathematics
George Saliba
Salman Hameed
In this lively lecture at Hampshire College on March 8, 2008, George Saliba uses the mathematical and astronomical information necessary to determine the times for the five daily Muslim prayers (ṣalāt) as just one example of how culture and science interact.
As a part of his presentation, Saliba covers when various mathematical concepts, such as sine and cosine, were determined. He also presents when basic cosmological information, such as the Earth being spherical, were known. He also shows how Islamic astronomers, after noting errors in Ptolemy’s astronomy, created new models that are likely to have influenced Copernicus’s thinking. As he shows, Copernicus (d. 1543, Poland) sought out the best in previous work, and applied it in a new way, creating the heliocentric model we use today.
Topics covered: times for the five daily Muslim prayers, development of trigonometry, measurement of the Earth’s tilt on its axis, Ptolemy, defining the calendar, methods for observing solar positions, use of astrolabes, direction of prayer and how to determine it, spherical geometry, Indian/Arabic numerals, Al-Khwārizmī and algebra, planetary theory from the Greeks to Islamic science, Muḥammad ibn Mūsà (c. 850 CE), translation as fact-checking, “doubts against” genre of Arabic literature, Nasir al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, model for Mercury’s motion by Ibn al-Shatir (d. 1375), medieval educational systems in the Islamic world
Unfortunately, the recording does not include the powerpoint. However, the book which covers many of the same ideas is Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance.
Evaluation:
The material on Islam is within the bounds of what Muslims have historically understood as acceptable.
The presentations of the history of science correspond to what a consensus of scholars understand today.
About George Saliba
George Saliba received a Bachelors of Science in mathematics in 1963 and a Masters of Arts in 1965 from the American University of Beirut. He went on to pursue a Masters of Science degree and a doctorate in Islamic Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1978, Saliba started his teaching career at Columbia University in New York as a professor of Arabic and Islamic Sciences. He has received many awards, most notably the History of Science Prize in 1993 and the History of Astronomy Prize in 1996. Saliba was a Distinguished Senior Scholar at the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress (2005-2006) and at the Carnegie Scholars Program (2009-2010).
Saliba’s studies are described on his website as “the development of scientific ideas from late antiquity till early modern times, with a special focus on the various planetary theories that were developed within the Islamic civilization and the impact of such theories on early European astronomy.” His website provides a link to his most recent research in addition to a listing of his publications. A portion of his public lectures may also be found online at the 1001 Inventions website.
George Saliba does not appear to operate any social media pages as of 2015. He served as an advisor for the Science and Islam Video Portal project.
Selected Bibliography:
“George Saliba.” MESAAS. Columbia, n.d. Accessed 21 May 2015.
“George Saliba.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Accessed 21 May 2015.
“Professor George Saliba Lectures | 1001 Inventions.” Professor George Saliba Lectures | 1001 Inventions. 1001 Inventions, n.d. Accessed 21 May 2015.
Saliba, George. “Saliba’s Page.” Saliba’s Page. Columbia, n.d. Accessed 21 May 2015.
About Salman Hameed
Salman Hameed trained as an astronomer and teaches about the intersections between religion and science. He received his undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy from State University of New York, Stony Brook (1994) and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from New Mexico State University (2001). Hameed went on to become a fellow in the astronomy department at Smith College and University of Massachusetts Amherst before he settled at Hampshire College in 2005. As of 2015, Hameed is an Associate Professor of Integrated Science and Humanities and an endowed chair, in addition to being the Director of the Center for the Study of Science in Muslim Societies at Hampshire.
Hameed’s publications include articles in The Guardian newspaper, the Zygon Journal of Religion and Science, and Religion Dispatches. He also frequently writes on subjects concerning science and religion in his blog, Irtiqa (the Urdu word for evolution). A collection of some of Hameed’s work, including videos, may be found as part of his biography on the Eqbal Ahmed website. His academic profile can also be found through the Hampshire College website. Hameed is also active on Twitter and other social media as of 2015 and has a personal website.
Selected Bibliography:
“About Salman Hameed.” Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education. EACPE, n.d. Accessed 13 June 2015.
“Dr. Salman Hameed.” American Islamic Congress. American Islamic Congress, n.d. Accessed 13 June 2015.
Hameed, Salman. Irtiqa. N.p., n.d. Accessed 13 June 2015.
Hameed, Salman. “Salman Hameed Profile.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, n.d. Accessed 13 June 2015.
Hameed, Salman. Twitter. Twitter, n.d.
“Salman Hameed.” Hampshire College. Hampshire College, n.d. Accessed 13 June 2015.